Painful Recovery
by Nostalgic-Romance
Summary: A piece I wrote a few months ago that I'd like some feedback on. Link manages to kill Gannondorf in the final battle, but is badly wounded. As he clings to life, two young rulers are going to have to rebuild their kingdoms while rebuilding their lives.


**Edit: Totally sorry I didn't make this clear before, but this would _NOT_ be the first chapter. It would be the third or fourth chapter, but I wrote this one first, and therefore posted it to get some feedback.**

This story is just shy of a thousand words, and if I'm honest, doesn't really count as a story. I wrote this piece because I had the urge to, and had been planning on fleshing out an entire fanfiction based on the idea, containing a revised version of this.

The story goes as follows: At the end of Twilight Princess (Oh, did I mention there are spoilers lurking?) Link manages to kill Gannondorf, but is badly wounded in the battle and is clinging to life in what's left of the castle's infirmary. Midna is still in Hyrule, not wanting to leave Link in this state, and is dealing with her feelings towards Link, including the fact that they could never be together for several reasons. On a much lesser scale, she is also sorting out her thoughts and feelings on a previous relationship with Zant. Zelda also has realized some feelings for Link, but has convinced herself he is going to die, and that even if he lived, the gap in social class would be too much for an actual relationship to flourish. Zelda eventually decides to leave the castle and start a new existence, hoping to escape the pain of the current situation.

I could still make this out to a full fledged fic, if people want it, or if I feel like it, so I'm posting looking for some feedback. The writing on my newer stuff is a good bit more detailed, and probably the story's writing style would improve from this.

* * *

Zelda continued to walk, slowly, solemnly, towards the castle gates. The sound of her horse's footsteps echoed through the silence of the night, an eerie rhythm in the pitch black darkness. And what a darkness it was.

The cold air swallowed all emotion, leaving the princess numb, but anxious. She hadn't a clue what she was doing, but knew her heart was set on doing it. There was a deep pain in her, somewhere, tied to the castle, tied to infirmary, tied to _him_. Link. Not his memory, no, but his body. The sight of him, near death as he had been for days on end, was enough to make Zelda physically sick. He was willing to let go, and she had to honour that.

But it was _so hard_ to even think of giving him up.

Reaching the gate, Zelda leaned against one side, looking sadly out at the courtyard of Castle Town. Perhaps it was the cold, or the calm that left the streets empty, or possibly the threatening clouds on the horizon. One could practically smell the rain, daring the people to come out of their shops and homes.

In a pained gesture, she turned around to look at the castle, to reflect before leaving, but in front of the ever crumbling piles of stone, stood a familiar figure, with a face and limbs as pale as the moon itself, seeming to float in the shadow.

"Midna?" Zelda asked, unsure of her own eyes.

"Where on earth are you going this late?" Midna replied. Of course it was her. No one but a Twili could blend so well with the night, and all the Twili in Hyrule were dead. All but one.

"The temple," Was her answer. "I don't know where I'll go after that."

Two of Midna's fingers rested on her cheek, giving her a thoughtful, concerned, look. "You're coming back here, with me and Link. Right?"

"No," She shook her head. "I can't. More like Termina, or somewhere in Eldin province. I can't be here."

"You… hold on, what?" The Twili rose her voice a little, confused, and angry at what she thought she was hearing. "Link is back there, in his time of need, and you're just… running off?"

Zelda smiled faintly, in shame and recognition. "Yes. I guess so."

"You're _leaving him_?!" Midna shouted. Her face fumed, and she glared at the other woman, as if wishing her to burst into flame, then and there.

"I can't watch him die!" She pleaded for sympathy, clenching her fists. "And I don't know how you can!"

"How? _How_? Because I was with him, that's how!" Midna's eyes flared, and she nearly screamed each word in her rage, waving her arms wildly at Zelda. "Every time, every _single time_ he was losing, I was there, dying inside, trying to remember if he had another fairy. Every time he took a hit, my heart sped up. I was with him when he fought, whether he lost or won, and no matter what they were, I had to face the consequences with him. When I was hurt, he didn't give up on me, and he never gave up trying to save you, either. Link _is_ courage, and we'd both be decent enough to show some!

"But you… you're abandoning him, and all your people! This is a time of healing for everyone, and when you should be strong, and help all you can, you're just helping yourself get over a loss you haven't even experienced yet," Her words gradually slowed, calming her by simply coming out. She closed her eyes. "You're just being a coward."

A short silence filled the night air of the courtyard. The two women stood, each facing their own demons. Two rulers, piecing their lives back together. The Twilight Princess had more to say, so much more, but it was difficult to express in words, to express at all. She could hardly breath, fighting back her mixed emotions, trying to fight the tears. The Hylian Princess waited for her companion, words clear in her head.

It took little time for her to speak up.

"Those are big words from you, Midna," Zelda said. "'Abandoning', huh? I'll tell you what. Take Link. Take Link, Hyrule, and everything I'm abandoning, if you think I'm so inferior. Because we both know what an absolutely brilliant job you did with your kingdom. Long live the queen, forever live the three." Giving a small salute to finish the rebuttal, the princess turned, took a step to go, but was stopped when something hard, heavy, and painful made contact with her back.

Swirling around, Zelda found Midna had taken up rocks from the castle's rubble, throwing them in anger. She dodged a few stones, glaring at her in disgust. "Well, you're certainly being mature about this!"

"Go!" She screamed. "Get out of here, Zelda! Go away, to Termina, or Kakariko, or Hell for all I care! You've live a pitiful, sheltered life! Would you rather be me for even a week?! My people are nearly extinct, and my best friend is dying! And you have the nerve to…" Midna had to stop, barely suppressing sobs and screams of anger. "Just go die." Midna finished, tossing the last chunk of rubble in her hand.

Midna sat down on the grass, burying her face in her hands. Zelda mounted her horse, and kicked it into a quick walk. And then, something almost painfully sad happened.

At the same moment, the two women both were overwhelmed, and the clouds above finally burst, and all at once, Zelda, Midna and the Goddesses all began to cry.


End file.
